On June 27, China inaugurated the Chongqing East Railway Station, officially the largest railway terminal on the planet. With 1.22 million square meters, the equivalent of 170 football fields, this colossus is five times the size of New York’s iconic Grand Central. The project cost around 6.7 billion euros to materialize. In addition to its magnitude, this megastructure also has a series of very interesting characteristics that we are going to tell you about below.
A titanic project in record time. Work officially began in November 2018, but satellite images shared by China Perspective on social networks show how between 2023 and 2025 the project went from being a vacant lot to a fully functional station. In fact, before work began in 2018, the area was a complete valley. The terminal opened to the public last June and already moves up to 16,000 passengers per hour.
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In addition to a station, a strategic node. Located in the Nan’an district, on the outskirts of Chongqing (a megacity in southwest China), the station has 15 platforms and 29 tracks. It is designed as a central axis within the national railway network known as “Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal”, which connects the western and eastern regions of the country. From here, travelers can reach Beijing, Shanghai or Guangzhou in just six to eight hours. It also serves as a gateway to cities such as Chengdu, Wuhan or Kunming in times ranging from one to three hours.
Imagen: Reddit
Design inspired by the region. Unlike some of the stations we have in Europe, with a somewhat more austere design, Chongqing East boasts an aesthetic with cultural identity, as well as functionality. The columns imitate the huangjue trees, typical of the area; the vents are shaped like flowers, and the welcome signs are designed like bamboo scrolls. Also notable is its glass roof, which offers a good amount of natural light to the main room.
A model of urban development. The station environment is conceived as a transit-oriented development zone, which will include hotels, offices, shopping centers and cultural facilities. In this way, the extensive land that existed before has now not only become a large station, but a whole new urban district. A way of doing things that is already classic in China.
What’s coming Chongqing East is not finished, as it is only the beginning of an even more ambitious railway network. High-speed lines such as the Zhengyu and Yukun are under construction and will further reinforce the station’s role as a continental hub. China has been showing us for decades how efficient its mega-constructions are, which go from record to record, as in the case of this station.
Cover image | Yi Cheng (shared by China Perspective)
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